Ch 2 – Life Span Development Psychology A Ms. Kramer Module 5: Adolescence Ch 2 – Life Span Development Psychology A Ms. Kramer

Adolescence Think of the person you were when puberty hit… are you the same person now? What has changed? What celebrations did you have when this happened? No longer a child, yet not an adult. This is probably the most dramatic change you will ever face!

Adolescence back in the day… 13 – adult celebration Next – marriage! Female – child-rearing and domestic work. Male – hunter In early 1800’s… 8th grade was the end of education, must work! Many married with children before 20 years!

Adolescence today Adolescence: Period between childhood and adulthood. Adult status is reached later these days. Longer to finish school, get married, have kids. Many want to stay financially dependent on parents for longer. Begins with sexual maturation. Now happens about 2 years earlier. Creates tension because part of them is adult and part isn’t…let’s discuss this! Teen pregnancy for example.

Sound familiar? When you want to be an adult, the message can be to be patient and wait…when you want to act childlike, you hear that you should grow up and act your age. Parents aren’t ready to let you have independence. What are other common themes of this time of life?

Physical changes during adolescence Puberty: Time when a person matures sexually. Hormones that bring on physical and emotional changes start this stage. Girls about 11, boys about 13 years old. What puberty brings: Growth spurts Early middle school girls can be taller, but around 8th/9th… boys outgrow females. Primary sex characteristics: Reproductive organs. See chart – pg. 83 Secondary sex characteristics: Breast development, facial hair…less related to reproduction.

Adolescent development Obvious signs of puberty: Menstruation for girls and beginning of ejaculation for boys. Sexuality has cognitive and cultural factors. Music, media, movies, internet, etc. Safe sex vs. abstinence Sexual orientation: One’s attraction toward people of a particular gender. 3-4% of males, & 1-2% of females are exclusively homosexual. 1% bisexual. What determines sexual orientation? Nature or nurture? Choice or no?

Adolescent Reasoning At the beginning of this time, Jean Piaget says we are at the formal operational stage. When we develop adult thinking and reasoning. Formal logic & abstract thinking are possible and this represents a qualitative change. Don’t think more… you think differently. Doesn’t happen all the time, at this stage you tend to think more of yourself than anything else. Falling in love for the 1st time, breaking up, etc. Can focus on idealistic thinking, and can totally devote yourself to a cause quite passionately.

Lawrence Kohlberg: morality One’s sense of right and wrong. Kohlberg felt our way of thinking about moral situations changes with our level of development.

He posed moral dilemmas to participants in experiments: Page 86. Wasn’t interested in whether the person thought Heinz was right or wrong. Instead, what reasoning did people use to make their decisions? Came up with three levels of moral development: Preconventional moral reasoning (concern with self), conventional moral reasoning (concern with fitting in), and postconventional moral reasoning (concern with broader ethical issues).

Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral Reasoning Draw this chart~!!!

Another way to see it… Pre-conventional: Conventional level: Student working on an assignment, “I better do well on this worksheet, or the teacher will be mad at me.” Conventional level: Working on a book report, “I hope I do as well as everyone else in the class so I don’t stand out.” Post-conventional: Teacher reading a book, “my new approach to distributing food could end hunger in the world.”

Criticism to Kohlberg Postconventional stage – not supported. Stage mostly occurs in white male population. Groups that value individualism. Think for yourself, stand on your own two feet! In communal cultures, the notion that postcoventional morality is superior to conventional morality receives little support. North American women are more communal and do not agree!

Social Development in Adolescence: Erik Erikson Theory of social development. Certain issues peak during different periods of life, including adolescence. Life span divided into 8 stages from infancy to late adulthood. Each stage has a psychosocial development task. Challenge, how individuals handle the task will lead to a more desirable or less desirable outcome.

Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development How do we search for our identity? Experimentation Healthy and not Career, drugs, etc. Rebellion Same values as rents? Self-destructive? “Self”-ishness Different cliques Teen friendships temporary? Life long friends, later in life. Optimism & Energy Good outlook Don’t tolerate things (pollution, civil rights) See, know, love handout! Primary task of adolescence according to Erikson is….? A strong, consistent sense of who and what you are!

Erikson – Independence Developing Intimacy From the family Says you strive to achieve intimacy: A close, sharing, emotional, and honest relationship with others. Spouses, friends, family members. Doesn’t have to be sexual! Intimacy vs. Isolation: “Baggage” Can’t share yourself honestly and openly if you are confused about your sense of self. Speeds up in this stage. Primary attachment to parents shifts to peers. Mall example. See page 92.

3 Key Development Issues 1.) Continuity and Stages Are we tadpoles turning into frogs? Are we saplings growing into trees? Cognitive development Moral development Social development Adolescence relies on continuity and stages.

3 Key Development Issues 2.) Stability and Change Tempermant and values…stay constant. Relationships and certain behaviors… change. 3.) Nature and Nurture Nature – important with sexual feelings and interests. Nurture – also learn about expressing sexuality from families and society.